Combination guide and float shoe



NOV. 28, 1933. R, BLQSS 1,937,188

COMBINATION GUIDE AND FLOAT SHOE Filed Oct. 29, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 RICHARD. R. Bwss Nov. 28, 1933. R R oss 1,937,188

COMBINATION GUIDE AND FLOAT SHOE Filed Oct. 29, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 RmHARD. R 31.055.

@5610 diam as. M

Patented Nov. 28, 1933 1.93am v commwrrron GUIDEAND non-r snon Richard R. Bless, Columbus, out, mm: to International Derrick 3; Equipment Company of Texas. -Beaumont, Ten, a corporation ApplicationOctober as, 193;. Serial N... 640,170

' 10 Claims. (01. 166-4) The invention relates to an improvement in a combination guide and float shoe of the type used in-lowering of casing and tubing into wells.

It is one of the objects of the invention to provide a guide shoe which is composed of frangible material so that the same may be drilled out after the pipe has been set and which can be readily connected to the casing.

Another object of the invention is to provide a guide shoe which will anchor itself in the cement which has been passed therethrough so that the shoe will not rotate with the drilling tool when it is sought to drill out.the shoe after the cementing operation.

' Another object of theinvention is to provide a connection between a guide or float shoe and its supporting pipe connection which is made by pouring a molten material between the parts so that the metal will solidify and form a perma- 0 nent connection.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combination guide and float shoe made of separable parts so that the guide shoe may be used either independently or in combination with the parts used to make up the float shoe.

Another object of the invention is to provide a guide shoe in combination with a valve and seat which will be adapted for placement so that the guide shoe may be converted into a float shoe by properly positioning the valve and seat.

Another object of the invention is to provide a resilient seat for the valve in float shoes.

Still another object of the invention is to pro-' vide a passage for float shoes wherein the en- 5 trance to the passage is so constructed that it can not be blocked by articles coming in contact therewith.

Other and further objects of the invention will be readily apparent when the following descrip- 0 tion is considered in connection with the drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is' a central, vertical section of a guide and float shoe constructed in accordance with 5 one form of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the shoe shown inFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4. 3 Fig. 4 is a central, vertical section of the float shoe without the valve in position and. before ,the cementitious reenforcing material has been placed therein. Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 55 and i showing a broken view of the configuration o the bottom of the shoe whereby the shoe is prevented from rotation after use. p

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the shoe before it is positioned in the supporting pipe. v

Fig. '7 is a sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 8 and shows a combination guide and float shoe wherein the parts are separable and capable of independent Figs. 8 and 9 are sections taken on the lines 8--8 and 9-9 of Fig. 7, respectively. Fig. 10 is a bottom plan view of the combination guide and float shoe shown in Fig. 7.

In Fig. 1 the casing or pipe which is to be run vinto the well is indicated at 2. This pipe may be either casing or tubing, or may be any other pipe which it is desiredto place in the well. This pipe has connected thereto a suitable coupling 3. The coupling 3 in'this instance is specially constructed to receive the guide shoe of this invention and is arranged to extend below the end of the pipe 2 and may terminate in a tapered lower shoulder 4. The inside surface of this coupling 3 is provided with a-plurality of spaced annular grooves 5.

The coupling 3 is arranged to receive the float shoe indicated generally at 7, and in the Fig; 1 modification of the invention the shoe is a combination guide and float shoe which is made up as seen in section and elevation in Figs. 3, 4 and 6. The shoe 7 is preferably formed with an enlarged rounded lower end 9 which serves as the guide portion of the shoe. The outer surface of this guide portion 9 is provided with a plurality of slots or grooves 10 which are best seen in Figs. 2 and 5. These grooves are formed by indentations in the surface so that when cement has been passed through the guide shoe that some of the cement will become lodged in these grooves 10 and after the cement has hardened the shoe will be firmly lodged against rotation. This is a desirable feature because after the cement has set it is the practice to drill out the shoe by lowering a drilling tool through the pipe 2. Instances have occurred whererotation of the drill caused the guide shoe to break loose from its connection with the supporting coupling and rotatewith the drill bit or milling tool. When this occurs the cement below the shoe merely acted as a bearing and it was practically impossible to drill out the shoe. With the provision of the grooves 10, however, the shoe is positively held against rotation by the rib of cement which is deposited in the grooves.

The body 7 of the float shoe may be made of a y suitable material either metallic or nonmetallic. It has been found, however, that aluminium or alloys thereof are very suitable for this construction because they are light, inexpensive and can be readily drilled out after the service has been performed.

The body 7 includes not only the guide portion 9 previously described, but also the neck or supporting portion 12. This neck is slightlyreduced as compared with the larger portion 13 of the lower end of the shoe and the connection between the neck and the guide portion is formed by the shoulder 14 which is arranged to engage the shoulder 4 of the coupling 3. The outer surface of the neck 12 is provided with a plurality of outstanding ribs 15 which are best seen in Fig. 6. These ribs may be annular except for short distances preferably on each side of the neck. The interruptions of the ribs serve to form a passage 16 along the side of the neck and between the inside of the coupling 3 when the shoe is in position shown in Fig. 1. The ribs 15 on the shoe are arranged so that they alternate with the grooves 5 which are formed in the coupling 3 so that the spaces 17 between the ribs 15 on the shoe and the grooves 5 in the coupling 3 form an annular channel 18 when the shoe is positioned in the coupling.

When it is desired to amx the shoe and coupling together some suitable substance is poured into the entrance 20 of the passage 16 so that it will flow downwardly by gravity and seal the annular channels 18 between the shoe and the coupling. This liquid material is preferably a metal such as babbitt or solder or some similarnoncementitious material. This material is seen in Fig. 1 at 21 and is shown as filling the passage 16 and the channels 18. Of course, as soon as this material fills the channels it will solidify and the shoe is then firmly held in its position in the coupling 3. The entrance 20 of the passage 16 may be enlarged somewhat by depressing the wall 23 of the neck 12. With the shoe connected to the coupling in the manner above described, the shoe may be placed in the coupling in the field where materials such as babbitt are always available, or the shoe and the coupling may be assembled in the factory and shipped into the field for use. In either event, a positive connection is formed between the shoe and the coupling which can readily be destroyed either by sharply jarring the shoe with a suitable instrument, or be drilled out.

The internal construction of the shoe is best seen in Figs. 1 and-4 and includes the outer shell portion 25 which is made up of the guide portion 9 and of the neck 12. The wall of this shell is comparatively thin so that no substantial amount of material will be deposited in the well. In order to reenforce this wall so that it will not break into large sections when it is being drilled out, the shell is filled with cementitious material indicated at 26. This may be any suitable form of cement, either metallic or non-metallic which will solidify at atmospheric temperatures. Sulphur could be used for ihis purpose.

Centrally disposed in the shoe 7 is a passageway which is defined by the wall portion 28. The wall portion is preferably cast integral with the shell 25 and is connected thereto by spaced ribs 28'. Fig. 3 shows four such ribs, but it is intended that any desired number may be provided so hat the passage wall will be suitably supported. The wall 28 forms the passage 29 which is adapted to permit the passage of the fluid through the shgean'd out the base thereof. This passage is enlarged as at 30 to form the valve chamber and is again restricted as at 31 to form a retaining portion for the valve.

The valve chamber and the portion 31 merge together at the shoulder 32 which serves as a seat for the ball valve 33 which is positioned in the valve chamber 30. It is desirable to have this valve arranged so that it will prevent the upward passage of fluid and the seat is therefore positioned above the valve chamber. In order that fluid may pass downwardly through the passage the wings 34 are provided in the valve chamber to support the ball valve and permit the passage of fluid around the valve. When, however, fluid passes upwardly through the shoe, the valve 33 will be raised and engage with the seat 32 to close the shoe completely against an upward flow of fluid. It is contemplated that in casting the shoe '7 that the valve.33will be deposited inside of the core which is used in forming the wall portion 28 of the valve chamber 30. After the casting has been completed, the material forming the core will be removed leaving the valve 33 in position.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that a simple and economical guide and float shoe has been provided which can be readily adapted to supporting structures and which may be readily drilled out or removed from the end of the pipe af er the casing has been positioned.

Figs. 7 to 10, inclusive, show a modified form of the invention when the shoe portion 40 is similar in all respects to the guide shoe of Fig. 1, except that the shoe has been terminated adjacent the upper end of the chamber 30 as the shoe is viewed in Fig. 1. The shoe 40 is therefore of less length than the shoe 7 of Fig. 1, but other than this, is quite similar thereto in that it is composed of a thin wall portion which is adapted to be con-- nected to the supporting coupling in the same I manner as the shoe of Fig. 1. Because of the similarity, the same reference characters will be applied to corresponding parts.

The shoe 40 of the Fig. '7, however, is adapted for use merely as a guide shoe or it may be combined with a valve and valve seat so that it can be used as a float shoe. This form of the invention shows four grooves 10 instead of the two grooves shown in Fig. 2.

In the Fig. 7 form of the invention, the ball valve 33 need not be positioned inside the valve chamber 41 when the chamber is formed because of the fact that the chamber 41 has an opening 42 therefor which is of sufficient size to permit the insertion of the valve. The shoe 40 is arranged for attachment to the coupling 3' in identically the same manner as previously described. The general arrangement of the parts of the body 40 of the guide shoe is the same as previously described, including the wings 34 and the passage 29.

Instead of the top of the valve chamber or valve seat being formed integral with the guide shoe, Fig. '7 shows the valve seat as being formed of a ring of resilient material 44. This ring of material is shown as being fitted upon the top edge 45 of the inner wall of the valve chamber 41. This ring seat is held in position by a flange 46 which is carried by the retaining ring 47. This retaining ring is in turn threaded or otherwise suitably connected as at 48 to the coupling 3'. The ring 47 and the support 46 are preferably arranged as a spider so that they will be light in construction and can be readily drilled out after the operation has been performed.

It seems readily apparent that with the parts just described the guide shoe 40 may be used merely as a guide shoe or it may be combined with the valve 33 and the valve seat which is indicated generally as at 43 so that the guide shoe serves the purpose of a float shoe as well. The top of the inner wall 48 of the valve seat is formed with a plurality of lugs 49 or other irregularities, so that in event a piece of debris such as a chip or piece of packing is pumped into the pipe along with the cement or other fluid such chip or particle can not be lodged squarely across the top of the passage and block the same.

Even if the particle does lie flat on top of the valve seat member the irregularities 49 would permit the passage of a limited amount of liquid around the obstruction.

The ball valve 33 may be either metallic or non-metallic as desired. As here illustrated, the valve is composed of a central portion 50 which may be of metal and an outer coating 51 which may be of non-metallic material such as rubber, balata or phenol condensation product. The object of providing either a resilient seat or a resilient ball is to obtain a perfect fit of the parts, even in event of trapping of small particles of sand or gravel between the valve and seat. The provision of the resilient seat is of material importance because it avoids machining of the parts and can be readily inserted and will compensate for any irregularity in the surface of the valve member. It is, therefore, unnecessary to provide a precisely accurate valve or a precisely accurate seat and either a metallic or a non-metallic valve member may be used with the resilient seat.

The combination of separable parts to convert a guide shoe to a float shoe is believed to be of advantage because the guide shoes are often used independently of the float shoes, and thus the guide shoe may be kept in stock and used when desired and only when it is required that the guide shoe be used as a float shoe is it necessary to incorporate the valve seat and the valve member. The coupling 3 is so constructed that the valve 33 and the valve seat 43 may be inserted from the top thereof after the guide shoe 40 has been attached to the coupling. Thus, in some instances the guide shoe may have been used on several occasions and removed from the well, but when it is necessary to use a float shoe the'valve and valve seat may be inserted in the coupling and the expense of purchasing the entire assembly is avoided.

While two forms of the invention have been shown and described, the invention contemplates broadly the provision of a shoe which may be attached to its supporting structure by the depositing of a liquid substance which is adapted to solidify and the provision of a separable guide shoe and valve construction, and it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is only to be limited by the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim 1. The combination of a guide shoe and a supporting structure, of aligned grooves in said shoe and structure when said shoe is in position, said grooves being adapted to receive a soft metal which solidifies at atmospheric temperatures to form a connection between said shoe and structure.

2. The combination of a guide shoe and support, of aligned annular grooves formed in each said shoe and said support which grooves when taken together form an annular channel, and a low melting point metal disposed in said channel to form a connection between said shoe and support.

3. A guide shoe composed of a guide portion, a neck portion connected thereto, a plurality of spaced annular ribs on the outer surface of said neck, said ribs being interrupted at one point to form a passage connecting the spaces between said ribs, a support for said guide shoe having complemental spaced ribs on its inner surface so that the spaces between said ribs on both said shoe and said structure form channels, and a soft metal disposed in said channels and said passage to connect said shoe and said guide.

4. The combination of a support, a guide shoe having a neck telescoped therein, and babbit disposed between said support and shoe as a connection.

5. A float shoe including a body of friable material, a cementitious filling disposed therein, a valve carried by said body, and means formed on said shoe to provide for attachment to a supporting structure including annular grooves and ribs to receive a soft metal which solidifies at atmospheric temperatures.

6. A float shoe including a body, a valve chamber therein, a valve disposed in said chamber to close said shoe against an upward flow, said valve including a ball having a resilient surface, a valve seat formed at the top of said chamber and adapted to receive said ball valve whereby irregularities of said seat will be compensated for by the resilient surface of said ball.

7. In a float shoe a body including a valve seat and a valve chamber, a resilient ball disposed in said chamber, said seat being formed of resilient material whereby a seal will be obtained irrespective of small obstructions or irregularities in the surfaces of said seat or valve.

8. In a guide shoe of the character described a guide portion, a plurality of grooves formed in the outer face of said guide portion to receive fluid cement and whereby the shoe will be held from rotation after setting of the cement.

9. A guide shoe, a support therefor, a soft metal connection holding said shoe and said support together, a valve chamber in said shoe, a valve therein, a separable valve seat disposed in said support, said guide shoe being adapted for use independently of said valve seat.

10. A guide shoe adapted for use as such or adapted to be fitted with a valve and seat to form a float shoe, said guide shoe including a guide portion and a portion for attachment to a support, of a passage through said guide formed into a valve chamber, a valve adapted to be passed into said chamber from above, a valve seat also arranged for attachment to the support, and a resilient seating ring disposed in said valve seat.

RICHARD R. BLOBS. 

